Let me clarify: we were baking store bought cordon bleu. My mom had neither the patience nor the motivation for the kind of painstaking, oily mess it would take to fry chicken cordon bleu at home. Neither do I. This healthy baked chicken cordon bleu, however? It is EASY to make, doesn’t require a deep fryer, and it still has that unstoppably appealing, breading-on-chicken-on-ham-on-cheese situation.
Why I Love Cordon Bleu
This oven baked chicken cordon bleu gave both myself and Ben the nostalgic feels, except that (as Ben so eloquently put it) “it tastes a thousand times better than the frozen stuff we had growing up.”
The chicken is juicy, the ham savory, the cheese melty and satisfying, and the golden, crisp breadcrumb exterior adds the exclamation point.In other words, it tastes amazing.
How to Cook Chicken Cordon Bleu
It takes a few minutes to set up your work station, but once you do, this easy cordon bleu comes together rather quickly. In addition to being scrumptious straight out of the oven, we were delighted with how well the leftovers were reheated.
Like this Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast, the interior filling insulates the meat and keeps it juicy, even the next day.Unlike this Baked Chicken Breast, you don’t need to brine the meat first to make your chicken cordon bleu juicy.
The Ingredients
Chicken Breast. Tender, juicy chicken breast is a delicious vessel for our cheesy ham filling. It’s flavorful while being a lean source of protein. Breadcrumbs. A blend of regular breadcrumbs and Panko breadcrumbs creates the ideal crispy, golden crust. I opted to use the whole wheat version of both types, but you can use regular if you prefer. Parmesan. Adds a salty, cheesy element to the breadcrumb mixture. Spices. Garlic powder and onion powder are the perfect flavor additions to the breadcrumb mixture. Eggs. Helps the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken breasts. Deli Ham. Ham is a scrumptious, integral part of the chicken cordon bleu stuffing. It’s salty, smoky, and pairs wonderfully with the cheese.
Gruyere. Rich, creamy, and nutty, Gruyere works beautifully for stuffing the chicken.
The Directions
Storage Tips
To Store. Refrigerate chicken in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days. To Reheat. Gently rewarm leftovers in a baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees F or in the microwave. To Freeze. Freeze chicken in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Recommended Tools to Make this Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe
Baking Dish. A 9×13-inch dish is ideal for this recipe. Rolling Pin. My go-to for pounding chicken breasts. Pie Dish. I like to use a pie dish for the breadcrumb mixture and eggs. It’s wide, shallow, and the perfect size.
Baked chicken cordon bleu is just the kind of lighter comfort recipe we all need a little more of, especially this time of year. Refrigerate the rolled, stuffed chicken breasts until you’re ready to finish the recipe.
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